Can Matthew Hatton Emerge From Ricky's Shadow?

By Sheldan Keay

When you hear the name Hatton, you automatically think of one person. With a combination of world class boxing skills and a down to earth personality that charmed the British public, Ricky Hatton has powered his way into legendary status in the boxing world that will forever see him known as an all time great.

So spare a thought for his little brother Matthew. Over the years, Matthew Hatton has found himself a regular addition on Ricky’s undercards and forced to watch from afar as his older brother gained critical success and acclaim throughout his career. Many argued that Matthew was no better than any other regional fighter, and without the Hatton name, would be a boxing novice. 

When Matthew failed in a bid to win the Commonwealth welterweight title against Craig Watson in 2008, it would appear that those naysayers were correct with their assumptions. Despite appearing to be out for the count, Matthew has risen from the deck to prove those doubters wrong, and now finds himself in a fight that could see him finally step out of Ricky’s shadow.

After outpointing veteran Italian Ginaluca Branco in 2010 to win the European welterweight title, Matthew then had upon him a light middleweight world title fight against Mexican youngster Saul Alvarez. Alvarez has been touted for very big things by the boxing community, and it was easy to see why due to his expected one sided beating of Matthew. Was Matthew simply just there for exposure to an American audience? Possibly. Was it a great opportunity for Alvarez to use the Hatton name to catapult himself onto the world stage? Absolutely. 

Regardless of these points, Matthew did himself plenty of good, due to his gutsy performance against a much bigger opponent. The performance from Matthew put the rest of the welterweight division on notice, and it prompted boxing promoter Eddie Hearn into putting together a fight that the British public has been begging for.

When Matthew steps between the ropes for a landmark 50th time in March, opposite him will be rising British sensation Kell Brook, who is widely regarded as Britain’s top welterweight. Brook has dazzled audiences with his fast paced style and explosive power, and the unbeaten prospect is aiming for a world title shot in 2012. 

Just a few years ago, a win for Brook against Hatton would likely have been a foregone conclusion, but Matthew has proved that his skills have vastly improved, and that is one of the reasons why is has earned this fight purely on merit, as appose to simply being Ricky’s brother.

The fight between Matthew and Brook is being dubbed as ‘War of the Roses’, due to Matthew’s birthplace being in Stockport, and Brook residing from Sheffield. The term ‘war’ is a fitting title for the battle between these two British stars, as this fight first came to prominence following a war of words over Christmas. Matthew had sent a not so seasonal greeting to Brook via a voicemail message, which began the fiery exchange that these men have carried on ever since. 

The thrilling build up to their fight has been reminiscent to the nineties battles between fellow English boxers Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank, and it is clear just how much the British public appreciate an all English dust up between two top stars, as over 6000 tickets have already been sold for the hotly anticipated battle, taking place at the Motorpoint Arena in Brook’s hometown of Sheffield.

Matthew has a tough challenge ahead of him if he is to defeat the very talented Brook, but it is a challenge that he has every chance of winning. Due to his world title fight last year, and now the upcoming battle of Britain bout, Matthew is starting to show people that he is able to walk on his own two feet, and doesn’t need Ricky’s influence in order to gain a high profile fight. Whether he still currently remains in Ricky’s shadow is a different matter, but if he is able to defeat Brook, that certainly would change. 

Despite being written off by the doubters years ago, Matthew has proven to have sensational mental toughness, and that itself is one of the hardest fights in boxing. His patience throughout his career shows quite clearly, that good things come to those who wait.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

5 UFC Fights That We Should Expect To See In 2012.

By Sheldan Keay

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has continued to expand each year throughout their existence, and now with the impending arrival of Strikeforce talent and the new TV deal with Fox set to occur in 2012, it is proving to be the biggest year in UFC history. There are a lot of potential fights out there that UFC should be making in 2012, but there are 5 in particular that due to the buzz and revenue they could generate, UFC would be expected to make them.

5. Jose Aldo VS Dominick Cruz

Both men have looked dominant at featherweight and bantamweight respectively, and neither are looking like losing their title anytime soon. With the likes of Chad Mendes and Hatsu Hioki being the front runners for fights with featherweight champion Aldo, and bantamweight champion Cruz potentially having rematches with the likes of Urijah Faber, Brian Bowles and Joseph Benavidez, a fight between Aldo and Cruz could culminate in late 2012. Cruz has stated that he would be interested in moving up to 145 pounds to fight Aldo, and with both men being widely regarded as two of the world's top pound for pound fighters, it is hard to see why a fight between the two may not happen.

Cruz has shown throughout his career that his fast paced style has troubled every opponent he has faced, and with him being a high level athlete both on the feet and on the ground, he has the potential to expose any holes that Aldo has in his game. However, Aldo has rarely shown any holes in his game, and it is for that reason why he is seen as one of the top 3 pound for pound fighters. The only aspect of Aldo's game that may be questionable, is his cardio, ironically the area where Cruz is deemed to be at his strongest. There is no doubt that a fight between these two men would certainly be an intriguing one, and it would help to solidify the winner's pound for pound status.  

4. Frankie Edgar VS Gilbert Melendez

It is widely expected that Gilbert Melendez will be the next Strikeforce fighter to make the leap to the UFC, and with him he brings a serious claim to being the best lightweight in the world. However, another man who can claim that title, has proven time and time again never to count him out, as proven yet again at UFC 136, where Frankie Edgar sensationally came back from a early beating from Gray Maynard on his way to stopping Maynard in the 4th round and therefore retaining his UFC lightweight championship. Unless Clay Guida or Ben Henderson has something to say about it, it would appear that Gilbert Melendez is next for Edgar.

Melendez still has a title defense against Jorge Masvidal in December lined up, and with Edgar being unable to resume training until late November due to his medical suspension, a fight between the two could happen early next year. Melendez has great power, as shown in his recent KO victory over Tatsuya Kawajiri, and that power may cause Edgar the same problems that Maynard caused him in their last 2 fights. Melendez has also shown that he can pace himself well and pick his shots, and if put in a position that Maynard found himself in against Edgar, Melendez may have the ability to end the fight. However, Edgar proved in both fights that despite what you throw at him, he'll never give up, and it is that never give up attitude that helped Edgar defeat Maynard by KO at UFC 136, proving that he can also finish fights.

However, it is obviously not Edgar's mental toughness that is the strongest part of his game, it is his well rounded skill set including a great wrestling base, great boxing, great movement and great speed. It is those assets, and his ability to fight guys who outweigh him by around 20 pounds that recently led to Dana White calling him the second best pound for pound fighter in the world, and if a fight with Melendez does culminate, the winner would certainly have a good case to be known as a top two pound for pound fighter not just to Dana White, but to most fight fans.

3. Georges St. Pierre VS Nick Diaz

For months, MMA fans had been begging Dana White to make Georges St Pierre VS Nick Diaz happen, and a few months ago, White gave the fans what they wanted when he announced on Twitter that the fight will happen at UFC 137. However, Nick Diaz's failure to attend a media week including a press conference led Nick Diaz to be replaced in the main event by Carlos Condit. Diaz has since been booked against BJ Penn on the same event, and if both St Pierre and Diaz are able to overcome their opponents, it is highly expected that a fight between the two would take place in early 2012.

Diaz's fight style has left many to believe that he could be the one who ends St Pierre's dominant title reign, Diaz's desire to make any contest in a war would no doubt leave St Pierre in a position where he may be forced to fight differently to his conservative (yet dominant) style, and engage in a physical battle with Diaz. Diaz is a high level boxer and grappler, and so if the fight remains standing or hits the ground, Diaz would remain competitive throughout and push St Pierre all the way. St Pierre hasn't been forced to alter his fighting style for many years, and although it may receive criticism from fight fans for being 'boring', there is no denying that he is dominant. If St Pierre is not required to risk his strategy in order to defeat his opponent, then that is testament to his ability as a fighter. St Pierre has proven in his fights that he is skilled in every area, most notably his takedowns and wrestling, an area that Diaz has been known to have problems defending.

However, as shown in St Pierre's fight with Jake Shields, when facing a high level grappler, St Pierre may decide to keep the fight standing, and due to Diaz's grappling ability, this fight may indeed remain standing, which could favour Diaz due to his fighting style, and St Pierre may be forced to engage in a physical pressing battle with Diaz, which would certainly make many MMA fans happy. However, both men first have to defeat Condit and Penn respectively at UFC 137 before a fight could happen between the two, but if it did, it would certainly be a possibility that St Pierre and Diaz may find themselves as the coaches on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter on Fox.

2. Jon Jones VS Rashad Evans

Throughout 2011, MMA fans were expecting to see a fight between former training partners Jon Jones and Rashad Evans. This was due to Jones taking Evans' spot in the UFC 128 title fight against Shogun Rua after Evans received an injury, and Jones subsequently defeated Rua for the title. Initially, Jones and Evans stated that they would not fight each other due to their friendship and desire not to cause a rift in Greg Jackson's camp. However, it couldn't be anymore different now, as both men appear to have developed a true hatred for each other, and are eager to get this fight over and done with as soon as possible.

It was expected that Jones and Evans would meet following Jones' victory over Quinton Jackson at UFC 135, however, Evans is still recovering from the broken hand is suffered in his victory over Tito Ortiz at UFC 133, and so Jones will now face Lyoto Machida at UFC 140. If Jones is able to defeat Machida, it is likely that Evans will be his next opponent, and Evans offers a lot of skills that Jones may not yet have come across in his career. Evans is a high level wrestler, and we are yet to see how Jones performs off of his back. While Ryan Bader was also a high level wrestler, and he was unable to get down Jones, Evans' transitions into his takedowns are much better than Bader's, and if he is able to get down Jones, it will be interesting to see how Jones performs. Evans has also proven to have good striking, as shown recently in his KO victory over Tito Ortiz. This is arguably down to Evans' recent training camp with elite kick boxer Tyrone Spong, and if Evans is able to land on Jones, it will be interesting to see whether or not Jones has a durable chin.

However, these claims have been made many times before when opponents have faced Jones, and he has proven on every occasion just why he is now regarded as being a top pound for pound fighter. In his last outing, Jones fought Quinton Jackson, who has proven on many occasions to be a top level striker. However, Jackson hardly landed a punch on Jones, due to Jones' ability to maintain the distance and utilise his long reach advantage, something that will also be the case in his fight with Evans. Add this to Jones' ever improving skills both in his stand up and ground game, and it would be easy to assume that Jones will have another routine victory on his hands. However, when you factor in the fact that these men have trained together and know each other inside out, then that adds a whole different perspective to this potential fight. Both men have claimed that they dominated the other when training together, and while it is unknown which man is being truthful, it certainly means that a potential fight between the two is very intriguing. Jones and Evans would also be ideal candidates for a coaches role on the debut season of The Ultimate Fighter on Fox.

1. Anderson Silva VS Chael Sonnen

At UFC 117, Anderson Silva was a huge favorite going into his title defense against Chael Sonnen, and Silva was expected to defend his title in fairly convincing fashion following months of trash talk leading up to the fight by Sonnen. However, Sonnen certainly didn't plan on that being the case. He gave Silva the toughest fight of his UFC career, and for four and a half rounds, he completely dominated Silva by putting on a wrestling clinic on the middleweight champion. However, with just under two minutes remaining in the fight, Sonnen's concentration slipped for just a brief second, and Silva was able to lock in a triangle armbar and win the fight by submission. Ever since then, MMA fans around the world have wished for a rematch, and following Sonnen's win over Brian Stann at UFC 136, a 2012 rematch looks very likely.

A rematch was originally planned for UFC 125 on January 1st 2011, however due to Sonnen testing positive for elevated testosterone levels in his first fight with Silva, he was subsequently suspended for a year by the CSAC. Following a successful appeal process from Sonnen that lasted several months, his suspension was reduced, and Sonnen finally made his return to action at UFC 136 with a submission victory over Brian Stann. Sonnen showed in the fight just why he caused Silva so many problems, as he was able to take Stann down with ease and use his superior wrestling ability to keep the fight on the ground. Silva has always had trouble against wrestlers, and Sonnen exposed that weakness by repeatedly taking Silva down and using some devastating ground and pound throughout the fight. If a rematch takes place, it is unlikely that Silva may have been able to develop good enough takedown defense to prevent takedowns from someone as skilled as Sonnen in that area. Sonnen's recent training camps with the likes of Jake Shields and Nick Diaz has also improved Sonnen's submission game, and it is widely expected that due to training with such high level grapplers, Sonnen will no longer find himself in a position where he can be submitted as often.

With these factors to bear in mind, it would be expected that the Chael Sonnen that may step into the cage with Anderson Silva in their rematch would be a much improved Sonnen, so what evidence is there to suggest that Silva would be able to win, after having so many problems with Sonnen in their previous fight. The evidence is that he is Anderson Silva. Silva is regarded as the best fighter on the planet, and has broken countless records since making his debut in the UFC due to his unbeaten status. Since the fight with Sonnen, Silva has recorded KO victories over Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami, and if it was possible, has appeared to gotten even better as a fighter. Whether that be due to the introduction of Steven Seagal into his training camp is yet to be seen.

It was reported that Silva went into the first fight with Sonnen with broken ribs, and due to this, Silva was unable to perform at his best, therefore showing why Sonnen was able to dominate the champion with such ease. These claims was never confirmed, and so it is likely that Sonnen would be able to achieve the same success if given the opportunity. However, Sonnen first has to get the fight to the ground in order for that to be the case, and Silva has proven to have amazing movement and striking ability, most notably shown in his KO victory over Forrest Griffin. Sonnen has proven to have a great chin throughout his MMA career, and if given the option of having the better striking or the better wrestling in a fight, most fighters would choose wrestling.

With all these factors to consider, it is hard to make any case for either fighter on why they would lose this fight. While Sonnen clearly is strongest where Silva is weakest, Silva is the best fighter in the world for a reason, and as proven in the first fight, Silva should never be ruled out. if Sonnen is able to get Silva down, it cannot be forgotten that Silva is a BJJ black belt, which was the key factor in their first fight. Both these men would also be ideal candidates for the coaches role on The Ultimate Fighter's debut on Fox, and with Sonnen's trash talk expected to be in full force, it would certainly be a ratings hit. Long story short, a potential rematch between these two is easily the most desired MMA fight of 2012, and based on Sonnen's comments during his post-fight interview at UFC 136, it could go down as one of the biggest fights in MMA history.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Gill’s Comments Regarding Transfers Restores Hope Amongst United Fans.

By Sheldan Keay

 

 

Earlier this week, Sir Alex Ferguson left many Manchester United fans frustrated, when he announced that their will be no more signings coming to Old Trafford this season. After the arrivals of David De Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young, a large void was still left in the centre of midfield following the retirement of Paul Scholes, a void that many believed Sir Alex would fill with a Summer signing. The likes of Wesley Sneijder, Samir Nasri and Luka Modric were all rumoured to be potential targets for United, but after Sir Alex’s comments, it looked as if those targets were no longer going to be linked with United. That was until David Gill’s interview on Tuesday. Speaking on MUTV, the United Chief Executive claimed that the club are looking to bring in one more ‘world class’ player, a statement that should bring hope back to United’s fan base. However, with the contrasting views between Chairman and Manager, it remains to be seen whether or not the United fans can expect another signing this Summer.

After Sir Alex Ferguson’s comments, the first question many United fans were asking was what happened to the proposed move for Wesley Sneijder. Many trusted news outlets and journalists were reporting that Sneijder had agreed terms to join United, and that the only stumbling block was the transfer fee between Manchester United and Inter Milan. Sneijder had reportedly originally demanded wages of £250,000 a week, but it was then reported that he had agreed to reduce his request to £190,000 a week. A £35 million transfer between United and Inter then looked imminent, but it was then reported that United had no interest in Sneijder. It initially appeared that once again a proposed move for a player fell victim to both internet and newspaper rumours, but many trusted sources still claimed that a deal for Sneijder could still be struck in the near future. However, the proposed move once again hit another setback, following the news from Sir Alex that United’s Summer spending was over. Sir Alex was quoted as saying, “We are always looking for good quality players, however we are satisfied with the players that we started the season with. At the moment we are looking at central midfielders from within the club to replace Scholes.” Sir Alex’s comments put the likes of young players such as Tom Cleverley on note, as it then appeared that they would be called upon this season to step up and try to command the position that was once mastered by Scholes. 

Cleverley had a successful season at Wigan, and many have tipped the England Under 21 star to be the one to replace Scholes, stating that he had the potential to achieve the success that Scholes obtained at United. However, at such a young unproven age, it is unclear whether or not Cleverley is good enough at this stage of his career to carry that pressure on his young shoulders, and with this Premier League season looking to be tougher than ever, it would appear to be unwise for Sir Alex to risk using Cleverley in such a staring role. This is why many United fans felt a Summer signing to replace Scholes was needed. While the signings of Ashley Young and Phil Jones were well received among most United fans, they were positions that United did not necessarily need to strengthen. If money was an object for United, it remained unclear why moves for these players were more craved rather than a move for a centre midfielder, a position which at the start of the transfer market, was arguably the position that needed strengthening the most along with the goalkeeper position following Edwin van der Sar’s retirement. Things then became more unclear when following Sir Alex’s comments, it looked as if United had finished their business in the transfer market for this Summer, that was until David Gill’s interview on Tuesday.

While speaking on MUTV, Gill said “Edwin made it known that last season would be his last so we had planned for a new goalkeeper well in advance. With the others, the opportunities came along and we were comfortable with that. We’ve made three signings. We're looking at one more player to bring in.” Gill went on to add “Nothing is happening and nothing imminent is going on at the moment, but we'll see what happens when we get home. There is still be 31 days of the transfer window to see if anything develops. But I'm not working on anything at the moment, in that respect." The news from Gill will bring renewed hope to fans, who only a few days earlier had believed that they would see no more signings this Summer. But with contradicting views from both Manager and Chief Executive, it does leave slight confusion amongst fans as to where exactly United stand. It would not be the first time that after claiming United were no longer in the market, Sir Alex would go out and complete a transfer, however it is confusing as to why Sir Alex would make that statement, only to have David Gill make a completely contradicting view only days later. You have to imagine that Sir Alex can not be best thrilled to have been undermined in such a way, but the relationship between Sir Alex and David Gill has proven in the past to be a successful one, and it is doubtful that any hard feelings between the pair will stem from this situation. Confusion aside, the news from Gill leaves United fans in a much more comfortable position than it had appeared earlier in the week, and it again fuels speculation on a number of potential targets for United, with the most likely option being a certain Mr Sneijder.

 

With no confirmation from within the club, it is still unclear whether or not it is a central midfielder that United are looking to bring in, although it is unlikely that they would be seeking players in other positions where new talent is not required. With the news from Gill that it is a ‘world class’ player that they are currently seeking, it looks more and more likely than it will be Wesley Sneijder who finds himself playing at Old Trafford next season. However, with sources close to Inter Milan stating that Sneijder has no desire to leave, and with him also being at the centre of a new formation debuted by Milan earlier this week, there are also still clear signs that he may indeed stay at Inter Milan. If that is the case, there is also still the possibility that Arsenal’s Samir Nasri may be the one to join Manchester United, but he also found himself the subject of another of Sir Alex’s statements, when it was claimed that United would not be signing Nasri, but it has been proven this week that Sir Alex may not be entirely truthful when talking to the media. The arrival of Nasri would be a great signing for United, however it is no secret amongst most fans, that the player they sought after the most is indeed Wesley Sneijder. If United are able to get Sneijder, it would bring to an end one of the transfer sagas of the Summer, and would arguably be one of the biggest signings of the Summer, and with Sneijder possibly being the face of the new United midfield, it would be very hard to bet against United not only retaining their Premier League title, but also once again becoming the marquee team in Europe.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

James DeGale Given European Title Shot.

By Sheldan Keay

 

James DeGale will fight for the European super-middleweight title on home soil in September, despite surrendering the British strap in his latest bout. DeGale, an Olympic champion, saw his reputation dented when he suffered a narrow points defeat to George Groves, his long-standing rival, in May. But he now has an immediate opportunity to bounce back against European champion Piotr Wilczewski, who has lost once in 30 fights and is ranked third in the world by the WBO.

Speaking about the situation, DeGale said "Challenging for the European title is a fantastic opportunity to get myself back in the big picture in my first fight back, I've been hard in training since my last fight and I'm ready to box tomorrow if I need to, come September I'll be in great shape. The fight with Groves is in the past, I still believe I beat him, but I'm a positive person and now I'm focused on the future and a win will put me in a great position for a world title."

Surprisingly, DeGale's defeat against Groves does not appear to have thrown him off course in his bid to secure a world title-shot by the end of next year. His promoter Frank Warren pulled off a similar trick when he landed Amir Khan in a world championship bout just six months after he lost to Breidis Prescott.
"My promoter Frank Warren has done a great job in getting me home advantage for this title shot and now I've got to go out there, do the business and win it in style," DeGale said. In fact, I'm about to sign a new three-year deal with Frank and I'm really happy that he will continue to build my career as he has done since I turned professional. He brought Amir Khan back from a devastating knockout loss to a world title so I know that he can do it for me."

But Warren has warned DeGale that another defeat would send his career hurtling into reverse. "This is a make or break fight for James. He's got a big opportunity in front of him against Wilczewski and now has to go out there a deliver the goods and show the fans what he can do," he said. The fight announcement puts to an end any speculation that a rematch with George Groves could culminate, and instead it appears that DeGale has come out of the fight better off than Groves, despite Groves being the victor.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Carlos Tevez Wants To Leave Man City.

By Sheldan Keay

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has put an end to the speculation, and has confirmed that he does wish to leave the club. Tevez has stated family reasons as being the cause for his desire to leave, saying that he can no longer cope with not being able to live in the North West without his daughters. 

The news may not come as a shock to many, however it was just a few days ago that Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was certain that Tevez would stay at Eastlands. Speaking over the weekend, Mancini said "Yes, of course Tevez will stay, he is a fantastic player." There had been talk of a potential swap deal with Inter Milan for Samuel Eto'o, with Mancini adding "here was talk of an exchange with Eto'o but Inter did not want to sell." This statement from Mancini may have calmed the minds of some fans, but others felt that the situation was not over, and indeed that proved to be the case. The situation first began back in December, when Tevez handed in a transfer request, citing the same family reasons that he recently announced in his latest statement. He later removed that request a week later, and commited his future to the club, however many believed that Tevez would still leave at the end of the season, which now appears to be the case.

In his statement, Tevez made it clear that he had no animosity towards the club, and his decision was made based entirely on his family. "I need to be closer to them and to spend more time with them, living without my children in Manchester has been incredibly challenging for me. Everything I do, I do for my daughters. I need them to be happy because my life is about them now. I need to be in a place where they can adapt. I hope that the people understand the difficult circumstances I have been living under the past 12 months, in regards to my family." Tevez went on to say that he thanks for the club for everything they have done for him during his time there. "I would like to state that I have great respect for the club, its supporters and the owner, Sheikh Mansoor, who has been nothing other than respectful to me. I hope that most of the City fans will understand that I have given them my all on the pitch and that my dedication to the City cause has been 100% on the pitch. I hope I have done my bit to help City continue their progress towards their ambition to be champions of England and to advance in the Champions League. I have no doubt that the players and management of City will achieve great success in the future."

Tevez enjoyed a succesful 2 year spell at City, which saw him captain the side to their first trophy win in 35 years when they lifted the F.A Cup, and also securing City's place in the Champions League following their 3rd place finish. There is no doubt that replacing the void that Tevez will leave will be a tough one for City, however, with money not an object for them, it is likely that the Argentinian will be replaced by another world class striker. The likes of Neymar, Alexis Sanchez and Sergio Aguero have all been linked with moves to Eastlands, but City have announced that they are in no rush to sell Tevez and look for a replacement. A city spokesman said "Carlos is a contracted player to Manchester City for another three years and we have had no offers for him." It is likely that if City do sell Tevez as expected, they wish to recieve a fee of over £40 million for the Argentinian's services, a fee that only a handful of clubs around the globe will be able to afford, and with Inter Milan, the team who Tevez was heavily rumoured to be joining announcing that they do not wish to pay Tevez's £200,000 a week wages, where the Argentinian's future lies is anyone's guess.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Haye Disappoints In One Sided Loss To Klitschko.

By Sheldan Keay

With all the trash talking finally over, the two year wait for David Haye to challenge for the honour of being the first man since Lennox Lewis to unify the heavyweight division, and attempt to cement his place as one of the best heavyweights in a long time was upon us, all that stood in his way was the number one heavyweight in the world Wladimir Klitschko, and we soon found out why Klitschko is indeed number one. 

The fight started with Klitschko immediatly taking the centre of the ring, and this would be repeated throughout the fight. Klitschko did what he has done to each of his recent previous opponents and utilised his jab to perfection in order to keep Haye at bay. Haye rarely provided a threat to Klitschko, and it appeared that all he could offer the Ukrainian in the form of an attack was an looping over hand right that was thrown several feet away from Klitschko, who in all but two occasions was about to avoid the shot. The two times Haye did land, Klitschko was able to hold Haye and prevent him from getting in any follow up shots when Haye ran in looking for the knockout. Quite disappointingly, Haye appeared to purposely go down whenever Klitschko leaned on top of him, and on several occasions it was quite clear that Haye could have easily remained on his feet. Haye's actions did result in the referee deducting a point from Klitschko in round 7 but after Klitschko's trainer Emanuel Steward reacted angrily about this decision,  the referee appeared to take no interest in Haye's antics any longer, and instead gave Haye a count in round 11 when he again decided to fall to the canvas.

Haye's ability to avoid many of Klitschko's shots did prove key at times, as Klitschko was unable to connect with any follow up to his jab on many occasions. Klitschko did appear to have Haye in trouble midway through the fight, but Haye was able to recover well get right back into the action. Haye also had Klitschko wobbled in the 3rd round and in the 12th round, but Klitschko also showed good composure to immediately recover, proving that despite the talk of both men having weak chins, they both took several shots well and appeared to show no real sign of being hurt by them. After 12 rounds of rather lacklustre action, the fight went to the judges scorecards, on all three saw Klitschko the victor, with one sided margins of 118-108, 117-109 and 116-110. 

Haye revealed after the fight that he was nursing a broken toe, and he felt that this was the reason for his loss. "I couldn't push on my right leg. I broke my toe on my right foot. I couldn't push off the right foot to throw the right hand. I thought adrenaline would get me through it but it was tough. It's incredibly frustrating. We were thinking about pulling out three weeks ago but we couldn't with all these great fans here. My plan was to win this fight but for whatever reason it wasn't meant to be today. It's frustrating because I'm so powerful, but I couldn't land many punches.I've got a lot of respect for Wladimir and he's a great fighter. Everything that was said in the lead up was for him to come and get me so I could land my shots." Despite the heated trash talk from Haye leading up to the fight, it was evident that he respected Klitschko post fight, and this was shown when the two finally embraced with a hand shake after the bout, there was no denying that Klitschko deserved it, as he outstruck Haye in 11 of the 12 rounds.

Haye made it clear that he had no intention to continue fighting after his 31st birthday in October, but after his loss to Klitschko, Haye has now stated that if he was to get a rematch, he would consider postponing his retirement plans. Haye stated "I’d love the opportunity to do it again. In an ideal world, let’s do it again.”

They say that if it makes dollars, it makes sense. He said he’d knock me out, that I’d be his 50th knockout. I do believe I was not at my best. If I had been 100pc, maybe it would have made a difference, but we’ll never know. If I were to fight him again, I’d do things differently. The Klitschko camp has since said that they have no intention of granting Haye a rematch, but if one was to culminate, then Haye would have a lot of work to do if he is to stand any chance of defeating Wladimir Klitschko, as Saturday showed that Klitschko is a league above the former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Cruz Decisions Faber In Enthralling Main Event.

By Sheldan Keay

Just over 4 years ago, Urijah Faber earned a submission victory over Dominick Cruz to retain the WEC Featherweight Championship. The two met again in the main event at UFC 132 as bantamweights, and despite this time fighting for over 23 minutes more than their last encounter, it was a much more exciting affair which saw Cruz earn his revenge and come out the victor. After 5 rounds of fast paced exciting action, Cruz got the decision victory with scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47, and proved that the bantamweights have well and truely arrived on the world stage.

Despite the score of 50-45, the fight was a lot closer, and Faber was able to knock Cruz down on several occasions, but the champion was never in any trouble, and he was able to compose himself and cause Faber some problems too. While Faber may have landed the eye catching shots, Cruz landed a lot more strikes on his opponent, and these shots added with his speed and movement were far too much for a much more stationary Faber to deal with. A couple of the rounds could have arguably gone either way, and Faber believes he did enough to get the win. "Congratulations to Dominick, he won. It wasn't enough of an output on my side to make it a decision. I didn't finish him. So, I felt like it could have gone either way. I thought I won the fight. But again, you can't really judge when it comes to that." After each man now holding one victory each, a triology fight may be possible, and there shouldn't be many who would disagree following the exciting battle the two men fought in on Saturday.

Despite the 25 minutes that the two main eventers fought for, the co-main event was much nearer to 25 seconds, as it took Chris Leben just 27 seconds to knock out MMA legend Wanderlei Silva in Silva's first UFC bout in 17 months. Nobody expected this fight to go the distance, and this was proven when the two started swinging wildly after only a few seconds of the bout, but Leben landed flush several times on the chin of the Axe Murderer, and Silva dropped to the mat to then be hit by some of Leben's ground and pound which saw the contest come to a close. Leben weighed in on the situation, stating that "Wanderlei is my hero, he's always been my favorite fighter. I only visualized a three-round war. I never envisioned a knockout. It's unbelievable." It was a sad sight for Silva, who if Dana White gets his wish, may well have had his last bout in the Octagon.

Another man who was expected to be having his last bout in the Octagon, will be back again, after Tito Ortiz ended his 5 year wait without a victory to submit Ryan Bader in the first round. Bader went into the bout as the heavy favourite, and was regareded as being the much better striker out of the two. However, it was Ortiz who dropped Bader with a right hand, and he was able to pounce on Bader and secure the guillotine choke after 1:56 of the first round. Speaking after the fight, Ortiz said "The key tonight was the guys that I've been training with, it's such a positive group of guys, and anytime I thought I wanted to let up in training, they kept pushing me. I put my private life on the backburner for this training camp so that I could focus on performing like I'm capable of performing. It's such a great feeling to get this win. I'm reinventing myself." Where this lives Ortiz is anybodys guess, but Bader was also looking to revive his career following his loss to Jon Jones in February. Bader explained "I just woke up in a guillotine, I got rocked with a big punch and next thing you know, I was in a guillotine. I thought I was doing well with my footwork, but I talked to my coaches and realized I made some mistakes." This bout proved that you can't count anybody out in MMA.

Carlos Condit continued to impress, as he knocked out the undefeated Dong Hyun Kim in the first round of their fight. Kim would have been expected to come into this fight looking to take Condit down,  and he was able to do so early on in the round, but Condit showed that he has vastly improved his wrestling, and was able to get back up, before nailing Kim with a flying knee that left him slouched against the cage. Condit then followed this up with some punches which resulted in the referee waving off the contest. Condit is doing nothing but good things in his quest to get a title shot, and he made this clear after the fight, asking Joe Silva if he was ready for a title shot. Also reflecting on his win, Condit explained "I had an excellent game plan and I trusted in it, every time I go out there, I just fight to the best of my ability and tonight I couldn't be more pleased with how it worked out."

In the final main card bout, Dennis Siver won a close decision against Matt Wiman which the crowd certainly didn't agree with. This bout turned out to be a typical striker vs wrestler bout, Siver used his striking ability to trouble Wiman in the first, Wiman then used his wrestling in the second to keep Siver down for the majority of the round and open up a cut on the head of Siver following some vicious elbows. But despite many then scoring the third round for Wiman, Siver was given the decision with each judge scoring the bout 29-28 in the German's favour. Wiman disagreed with the judges decision and referring to the fight, stated that "maybe Siver got the decision because he threw more punches, but they weren't effective. Effective striking and grappling is what they say, and he didn't have that at all."

Notable bouts on the preliminary card saw Melvin Guillard continue to work his way to a lightweight title shot, with a first round stoppage of WEC veteran Shane Roller. Another lightweight bout that featured on the prelims, saw George Sotiropoulos suffer his second straight loss, as he was also knocked out in the first round to Rafael dos Anjos. Brian Bowles has been mentioned as a possible next opponent for Dominick Cruz, and he won a decision over Takeya Mizugaki in his quest to reclaim his belt. Overall, UFC 132 was a great event, and helped to give the lower weight divisions such as the bantamweights the exposure they needed in order to help them become known on the world stage.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Djokovic Proves His Class To Win Wimbledon.

By Sheldan Keay

Following Novak Djokovic's semi-final win over Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, it was announced that he would become the new world number 1. Many people questioned whether this should be the case if the former world number 1 Rafael Nadal was to beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. This was not to be the case as Djokovic blew away the Spaniard on his way to his maiden Wimbledon title.

In a final that pitted the two top seeded players together, both men entered the final with two amazing streaks to their name. Nadal had won 20 straight matches at Wimbledon, having not lost a match since losing the 2007 Wimbledon Men's Final to Roger Federer. Djokovic also boasted an impressive record, having entered the contest with 49 wins from 50 matches this year. The majority of people were torn as to who they believed would win the final, stating that it would be a close affair, but it was anything but that. Djokovic came into the match having beaten Nadal in four finals this year, and it looked like it could soon be a fifth, when Djokovic captured the first set, breaking Nadal in the 10th game after the first 9 games had stayed on serve. The first set may have been close, but the second set was far more dominant, as Djokovic smashed 13 winners on his way to securing a one sided 6-1 set. It looked like Nadal was down and out, but it would be foolish to count out the defending champion, and this would be proved to be correct.

Nadal hit back in the third set to get right back into the match, and earned himself a 6-1 set of his own, and many believed that Djokovic may not have the mental toughness to be able to see off the fierce comeback that was being displayed from Nadal. However, Djokovic was able to keep his nerve, and despite Nadal having break point at the start of the set, Djokovic was able to keep his serve and continue to play the sort of tennis that he has been playing all year to secure the set 6-3, and become Wimbledon champion for the first time.

Speaking after the match, Djokovic said "It's really hard to describe this with any words except as the best day of my life, the most special day of my life. This is my favourite tournament, the tournament I always dreamed of winning, the first tournament I ever watched in my life. I think I'm still sleeping, I'm still having my dream. When you're playing the best player in the world, Rafael Nadal, who has won two out of the last three Wimbledon's and he has always been winning the big matches against me in the Grand Slams, I had to be on the top of my game, I had to play my best. I think I played probably my best match on the grass courts ever." Djokovic sealed his victory by kissing the centre court grass, and if anybody had doubts over whether he deserved to be world number 1, those doubts surely will no longer exist.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Kongo Stops Barry In Amazing Comeback.

By Sheldan Keay

After the chaos that surrounded the UFC on Versus card following the cancellation of the main event and subsequent release of Nate Marquardt, many were skeptical as to whether or not this card would live up to expectations. The new main event certainly did.

After being promoted from the co-main event to the headlining bout, heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry were given the task of making sure that the paying spectators went home happy, and the pair succeeded in doing so. After around 2 minutes of neither man significantly engaging, Barry knocked Kongo down to the mat and followed that up with some ground and pound, that led to UFC commentators Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan both believing the bout was over. However, Kongo was able to get back to his feet, only to then be knocked straight back down, again leading to many believing the fight was coming to a close. It turned out that it would be, but not the way anybody expected it. Kongo again managed to return to his feet, and while staggering back towards the cage, a pressing Barry was soon hit with an unexpected right hook and upper cut, which resulted in him lay flat out on the mat. Kongo followed that up with some ground and pound to Barry, and referee Dan Miragliotta waved off the contest, something many thought he would have done during Barry's enslaught of Kongo, it turned out to be the right decision to let the bout continue.

The unexpected turn around from Kongo was a remarkable one, and one that is up there with previous UFC bouts such as Scott Smith VS Pete Sell as one of the best comebacks in MMA history. It was such a turn around, that it led to Barry stating the following after the bout. "Honestly, when I was laying on my back and (coach) Marty Morgan was standing over me, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, hey man, I killed him!" Barry can not be blamed for believing that he had won when he regained consciousness, as many believed this was to be the case before the shocking turn around. However, it wasn't the only shocking result on the card, as that was also the case in the quickly thrown together co-main event.

Flying high Rick Story was sent crashing back down to Earth, after his high profile victory over top contender Thiago Alves at UFC 130, Story was being praised as a potential future title challenger. While that still may be the case, it doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon, this is due to his shock defeat to relatively unknown Charlie Brenneman. Both men entered the week leading up to the fight expecting to face different opponents. Story was drafted in as a late replacement for the injured Anthony Johnson who was set to face Nate Marquardt in the main event, whereas Brenneman was set to face TJ Grant on the preliminary card. However, Grant pulled out of their bout with an illness in midweek, and as previously mentioned, Marquardt was released from the bout after he tested positive for hormone replacement therapy, and this left both men without an opponent, therefore this bout was thrown together with just over 24 hours to go until the event.

Story was the overwhelming favourite in the fight, and the fight was seen as a lose-lose fight for Story, a win would put him no closer to a title shot, and a loss would sent him right back down the ladder. Unlike the main event, this contest was staged primarily on the ground, which is expected with both fighter boasting great wrestling credentials. However, it was Brenneman who was deemed the more effective following 3 close rounds, and was given the decision after all three judges scored the fight 29-28 in Brenneman's favour. The fight is a huge set back for Story, who went from potentially earning a title shot with a win over Marquardt, to a loss against lowly ranked Brenneman, you cannot take anything away from Brenneman though, as he put in a great performance to potentially prove that the lowly ranked fighters can compete with the best when given an opportunity.

 

Also on the main card, Matt Brown ended his three fight losing streak with a unanimous decision win over John Howard, who now has three back to back losses to his name. Whether or not Howard will still remain with the company following this is up for debate. The final bout on the main card saw a heavyweight encounter take place between Matt Mitrione and Christian Morecraft. Both men were trash talking in the build up to the fight, but it was Mitrione who made the trash talk count, as he earned the stoppage victory over Morecraft in the second round. Some notable bouts on the preliminary card saw Tyson Griffin earn a majority decision victory over Manny Gamburyan, Javier Vazquez defeat Joe Stevenson by unanimous decision, and Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz fight to a no contest, after the original verdict of Oliveira winning by submission being over turned due to an accidental illegal knee by Oliveira.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

A Hit And Miss Night For British Boxing.

By Sheldan Keay

 British boxing was heavily featured tonight, and while it may have been a good night for one of our fighters, sadly it wasn't for another. Matthew Macklin failed in his bid to win the WBA middleweight championship, after a controversial split decision loss to champion Felix Sturm. However, Kell Brook put on a great display to push Lovemore N'Dou to his limits on his way to a unanimous points victory over the seasoned veteran.

Macklin got off to a great start in his fight with Sturm, hitting the German with punishing shots to the body that left his chest covered in redness and could very easily have left Sturm with several broken ribs. Macklin continued to look strong going into the mid way part of the fight, however Sturm then began to gain his composure and showed why he was the reigning champion. Each round featured some good exchanges with each boxer, and could have easily been given either way. However, due to the great start that Macklin made, most media scoring the fight had him as the victor, this was not to be though as the judges awarded Sturm a split decision, with scores of 116-112 to Sturm from two judges, and 115-113 to Macklin from the other. 

Speaking about the fight, Macklin said "I was very strong, stronger than Felix and I won, no doubt, I hope Felix will give me another fight, maybe in November." It would be hard to find somebody who would disagree with whether or not Macklin deserved a rematch, as the performance he put in showed exactly why he earned this world title fight, and showed exactly why his trainer Joe Gallagher was on a 49 fight winning streak as a trainer. 

 Despite the disappointment in Germany, Kell Brook was able to make the night partly succesful, due to the great performance that he put on in his native Sheffield. In a fight that many said would be the hardest of his career, Brook was able to dominate N'Dou from bell to bell, and won all but 1 round on two of the judges score cards, with the third judge giving one more round to N'Dou. Despite never being stopped in his career, N'Dou was forced to clinch and hold Brook several times in order to try and stop the enslaught of attacks that he was facing, as Brook hurt N'Dou with punishing upper cut and haymakers.

Speaking about the fight, Brook said "I maybe said I'd stop him to hype it up and get people interested, but at the back of my mind I knew it would be a 12-round fight, It's a big learning curve in my career, my first 12-round fight. Maybe I held back a bit and there were some things I did wrong, but that's all learnt now." The win earned Brook the WBA inter-continental championship, and may leave him in prime position for a world title shot at the WBA belt. Current champion Viacheslav Senchenko defends the belt against Marco Antonio Avendano in Ukraine on August 20th, and the winner of that bout could see themselves defending the title against Brook in the UK before the end of the year. 

All in all, both Macklin and Brook can be proud of their performances tonight, while Macklin may have come up short in his bid to become champion, he won the hearts of many with his gutsy performance, and with many feeling that he won the fight, he may have earned himself a rematch with Sturm. As for Brook, he again proved why many are tipping him for great things in the welterweight division, and with a world title shot within his grasp, he is showing why he is regarded as one of the UK's biggest prospects.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay